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There will be no world premiere for Anna Swenn-Larsson, Emelie Wikström and other Swedish slalom skiers.
On Wednesday, coach Christian Thoma tested positive for covid-19 upon arrival at Finnish Levi and on Thursday, the entire Swedish team, despite negative tests, were quarantined at the world cup.
If things go wrong, the team can be stuck for a week at Levi.
On Friday morning, the situation did not change.
– Christian is not noticeably ill yet. It’s good. And the girls are healthy so far too, says alpine manager Tommy Eliasson Winter, at his home in Sweden.
– So it is difficult to handle the competition situation and explain that this is an official decision. But these are the rules in Finland.
What does Fis (the International Ski Federation) say?
– The Fi act establishes that it is the decision of the national authorities that is applied in each country. We have known it all the time. We probably knew we would find it and we knew it would be a special season, but I probably never expected it to be in the first race and in our dear neighbor.
The Swedish pilots were tested again on Friday morning and are expected to receive the test results during the day.
– But the quarantine will not be lifted regardless of the outcome because it is estimated that they have been exposed to the infection (Christian Thomas) for at least 15 minutes three days before the infection was discovered, says Eliasson Winter.
Are you afraid of more positive tests?
– There is nothing to indicate that. But of course there is a risk of that happening.
How are the riders?
– Obviously, it’s a difficult situation. They are in their respective rooms and bring food to the room. But they are well cared for.
Friday I work the leadership of the national team when trying to move the quarantine to Sweden.
– We are trying to find a place in Sweden where we can “quarantine” them even more. We think it makes sense to walk away from the competition for purely mental reasons.
– But it is a logistical exercise because they are not allowed to have contact with people on the way. It is not the case that everyone lives on the other side of the border. Emelie lives in Jönköping, for example, and the military lives in Slovenia, Italy, Austria.
Lost competitions means Lost ranking points, important cup ranking points, and any prize money. A prolonged quarantine in Finland also means losing training.
– For girls, it is catastrophic, the stakes are high, says Eliasson Winter.
– So we are trying to contact the infection control authority in Norrbotten to try to get some advice. If we go to a cabin in the woods, can you go out and exercise a little then, alone? We have the opportunity to find addresses that are not populated. But then you have to make sure you separate the cyclists, because they can be asymptomatic.
Read more:
Swedish alpine team in quarantine: may get stuck on Levi
Swedish cyclists cried: “Feeling punished”
The Swedish winter stars in a big poll: “I don’t want to travel like a time bomb”
